Search Oakland County Court Records Through the Court That Actually Holds the File
Oakland County court records are divided among the 6th Judicial Circuit Court, Probate Court and a network of local District Courts. The correct search depends on the court level, case type and whether you need basic case information, an actual filed document, a transcript or a certified copy.
Which Oakland County Court Holds the Record?
Oakland County does not have one universal records office for every court case. The first useful step is to identify whether the matter belongs to Circuit Court, Probate Court or one of the local District Courts.
Use this route for circuit civil cases, domestic/family cases, felony criminal cases after bindover, business-court matters and other circuit-level proceedings.
Handles decedent estates, guardianships, conservatorships, trusts and mental-health matters. Public access differs by record type.
Local District Courts handle traffic matters, most misdemeanors, felony preliminary stages, small claims, evictions and civil cases within District Court jurisdiction.
Handles support, custody and parenting-time administration in eligible Family Division cases. It does not replace the filed Circuit Court record.
Provides information from participating Michigan courts, but availability and historical depth vary by court and case type.
A federal district, bankruptcy or appellate case is outside Oakland County’s trial-court system and should be searched through PACER.
| Record needed | Start here | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Divorce, custody or Circuit family case | Court Explorer / 6th Circuit | Friend of the Court may administer support or parenting-time issues, but Legal Records maintains the filed Circuit Court record. |
| General civil or business case | Court Explorer | Circuit Court civil records are different from District Court civil cases within the lower monetary jurisdiction. |
| Felony after bindover | Court Explorer / Circuit Court | The case normally begins in District Court and later moves to Circuit Court. |
| Estate, guardianship or conservatorship | Probate Case Search | Find the probate case number first; available documents can then be ordered through Court Explorer. |
| Traffic, misdemeanor, eviction or small claim | Correct District Court | Oakland County has multiple District Courts, so location matters. |
| Michigan criminal-history report | Michigan State Police ICHAT | A statewide criminal-history search is not the same as retrieving an Oakland County court file. |
How to Search Oakland County MI Court Records in 7 Steps
- Identify the court level. Decide whether the record belongs to the 6th Circuit, Probate Court, a local District Court or federal court.
- Use Court Explorer for public Circuit records. Search by case number when possible; otherwise use the party name.
- Use Probate Case Search for probate matters. Locate the probate case number before ordering an available document.
- For District Court cases, identify the correct local court. Traffic, misdemeanor, small-claims and eviction cases may stay entirely outside the 6th Circuit.
- Use MiCOURT only where the court participates. Check the selected court’s coverage and any seven-year criminal-display limitation.
- Verify the result. Match the court, party role, filing date, case type, case number and later disposition before relying on a same-name result.
- Order the actual document from the record holder. Use Court Explorer or the individual court’s copy process when you need a filed or certified record.
Oakland County Court Explorer: Search, Docket and Document Access
Court Explorer is Oakland County’s public-access tool for Circuit and Probate Court records. For 6th Circuit cases, users can search by party name or case number, view the register of actions, review listed parties and attorneys, and purchase eligible documents.
Use the name search to locate a possible case, then switch to the exact case number for repeat searches.
The register shows docket events and filings. A docket entry does not automatically contain the underlying document.
Available documents can be ordered for standard-mail or email delivery, depending on whether certification is requested.
Records Court Explorer does not provide
Oakland County specifically excludes Personal Protection Orders, juvenile records and Probate Mental Health records from Court Explorer. A missing record in one of these categories should send you to the court’s special access route rather than repeated public searches.
6th Circuit Court Records: Civil, Domestic, Felony and Business Cases
The Oakland County Clerk/Register Legal Records Division maintains civil, domestic, felony criminal and business-court files for the 6th Judicial Circuit.
Includes general civil matters, contract disputes, business cases, district-court appeals and other circuit-level civil proceedings.
Includes divorce, paternity, custody, parenting-time and other Family Division matters, subject to confidentiality rules for particular filings.
Felony matters normally begin in District Court. After bindover, the Circuit Court maintains the felony file and later Circuit proceedings.
Commercial disputes assigned to Oakland County Business Court remain within the 6th Circuit record system.
| Office | Contact | Address | Published hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal Records | 248-858-0582 clerklegal@oakgov.com |
1200 N. Telegraph Road, Dept. 413, Pontiac, MI 48341 | Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. |
| 6th Circuit Court | 248-858-0344 | 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Dept. 404, Pontiac, MI 48341-0404 | 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. |
PPO, Juvenile and Other Records That Need a Different Route
Court Explorer intentionally excludes several sensitive record categories. Their absence from the public search is not evidence that no case exists.
PPO records are not available through Court Explorer. Oakland County publishes PPO form/help contact 248-303-1534 and PPO@Oakgov.com.
The 6th Circuit directs requests for documents in juvenile legal files to JuvenileLegal@Oakgov.com. Access remains subject to confidentiality rules.
Probate Mental Health records are specifically excluded from the Court Explorer public-access system.
Oakland County Probate Records: Search by Name, Then Use the Case Number
Oakland County Probate Court handles decedent estates, guardianships, conservatorships, trusts and mental-health matters. Its Online Services page provides a separate Case Search for locating a case by party name.
Oakland County states that Probate Court attestations must be ordered in person or by mail. Letters of Authority and other qualifying documents may be available for purchase through Court Explorer after processing.
1200 N. Telegraph Road, Dept. 457, Pontiac, MI 48341. Published phone: 248-858-0260.
Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., subject to holidays and court closures.
MiFILE is a filing system, not a public-record search. Creating a MiFILE account is unnecessary when your task is only to locate a public probate case or buy an available copy.
Oakland County District Court Records: Identify the Correct Local Court First
Oakland County’s District Courts are local courts rather than one countywide records office. They generally handle traffic cases, most misdemeanors, felony arraignments and preliminary examinations, small claims, evictions and civil litigation within District Court jurisdiction.
When you know the city or township connected to the case, use Oakland County’s District Court directory to identify the proper clerk before searching MiCOURT or requesting documents.
Oakland County District Court Directory
| Court | Location | Main contact | Routing clue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43rd — Ferndale | 305 E. 9 Mile Road, Ferndale | See official directory | Use the Ferndale division for cases assigned to that jurisdiction. |
| 43rd — Hazel Park | Hazel Park | See official directory | Separate 43rd District division. |
| 43rd — Madison Heights | Madison Heights | See official directory | Separate 43rd District division. |
| 44th District Court | 400 E. 11 Mile Road, Royal Oak | See official directory | Royal Oak matters. |
| 45th District Court | 13600 Oak Park Blvd., Oak Park | 248-691-7440 | Oak Park-area court. |
| 46th District Court | 26000 Evergreen Road, Southfield | 248-796-5800 | Southfield-area communities. |
| 47th District Court | 31605 W. Eleven Mile Road, Farmington Hills | 248-871-2900 | Farmington and Farmington Hills. |
| 48th District Court | 4280 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills | 248-647-1141 | Birmingham/Bloomfield-area and other assigned communities. |
| 50th District Court | 70 N. Saginaw, Pontiac | 248-758-3800 | Pontiac matters. |
| 51st District Court | 5100 Civic Center Drive, Waterford | 248-674-4655 | Waterford matters. |
| 52-1 District Court | 48150 Grand River Ave., Novi | 248-305-6460 | Use 52-1 for cases assigned to its division. |
| 52-2 District Court | 5850 Lorac Drive, Clarkston | 248-625-4880 | Use 52-2 for cases assigned to its division. |
| 52-3 District Court | 700 Barclay Circle, Rochester Hills | 248-853-5553 | Use 52-3 for cases assigned to its division. |
| 52-4 District Court | 520 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy | 248-528-0400 | Troy/Clawson-area matters assigned to the division. |
Friend of the Court: Support, Custody and Parenting-Time Records
The Oakland County Friend of the Court is part of the Circuit Court Family Division. It provides services in domestic-relations matters involving support, custody and parenting time, but it is not a substitute for the filed Circuit Court case record.
Support administration, payment issues, enforcement, parenting-time administration, custody-related FOC processes and FOC correspondence.
The filed complaint, motion, order, judgment, register of actions and other available documents from the Circuit Court case.
Friend of the Court publishes phone 248-858-0424, office hours Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and IVR number 877-543-2660.
MiCOURT Case Search: Useful for Discovery, Not the Official Court File
MiCOURT provides online information from participating Michigan courts. Depending on the court, civil, traffic, criminal, domestic and probate cases may be searchable.
Not every Oakland County court provides identical case types or historical depth through MiCOURT.
Some participating courts display criminal conviction information only when sentencing occurred within seven years of the search.
MiCOURT explicitly states that online information does not replace the official record maintained by the court.
MiCOURT also excludes several categories from public case search, including adoption, juvenile and child-protective cases, mental-illness matters, name changes, Personal Protection Orders, PPO violations, wills, Extreme Risk Protection Orders and other listed nonpublic categories.
Oakland County Circuit Court Copy and Certification Costs
Oakland County publishes the following standard Court Explorer charges for 6th Circuit document orders.
| Service | Published charge | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| Regular copy | $1 per page | Eligible noncertified copies may be delivered by email or standard mail. |
| Certified copy | $10 per case number + $1 per page | Certified copies must be mailed and cannot be emailed. |
| Credit-card service fee | 3.5% | Added when the Court Explorer order is finalized. |
| ACH service fee | $2.50 | Added to ACH transactions. |
Oakland County states that Court Explorer orders are typically mailed or emailed within two business days. All document sales are final and no refunds are issued.
Transcripts and Courtroom Video Require Different Requests
A transcript is not the same as a docket entry or an ordinary filed document. Oakland County separates transcripts already filed with the court from transcripts that still have to be prepared.
When the transcript is already filed in Circuit or Probate Court, check Court Explorer or the Oakland County Clerk’s Office.
If the transcript has not yet been filed, contact the appropriate court reporter or transcription agency rather than ordering it as a normal copy.
Viewing video from a court event uses the Circuit Court’s separate Video Viewing Request procedure.
Need a Michigan Criminal-History Search? Use ICHAT
Court Explorer locates Oakland County court cases. A statewide Michigan criminal-history search is a different task handled by the Michigan State Police Internet Criminal History Access Tool, commonly called ICHAT.
You need the Oakland County case docket, filed order, judgment or another court document.
You need Michigan’s public name-based criminal-history information rather than one county court file.
Michigan State Police currently lists a $10 fee per ICHAT name search. ICHAT does not include every possible record: MSP identifies exclusions such as suppressed information, warrants, federal and tribal records, traffic records, juvenile records, local misdemeanors and criminal history from other states.
Older Oakland County Court Records
Oakland County says public 6th Circuit records in Court Explorer are available back to the early 1990s. Older Circuit records that are not online can be accessed in person or by mail through the Legal Records Division.
Search Court Explorer first for public Circuit Court case information and available documents.
Contact Legal Records with the party name, approximate year, case type and any known case number and ask about in-person or mail access.
Do not assume this date range applies to every Probate or District Court record. Each court can have different historical systems and retention practices.
No Oakland County Court Record Found? Check These Issues
- Remove unnecessary filters. Retry the name using only information you know is correct.
- Confirm the court level. A District Court misdemeanor or traffic matter may never appear in Circuit Court Explorer.
- Search probate separately. Use Probate Case Search for estate, guardianship and conservatorship files.
- Try the exact case number. Copy all letters and digits from court paperwork.
- Review MiCOURT coverage. The court may use a seven-year criminal display limit or exclude the case type entirely.
- Consider older records. Circuit cases predating Court Explorer’s online range may require Legal Records.
- Ask the actual court. A record may be sealed, suppressed, confidential, archived or otherwise unavailable through the public portal.
Records Often Confused With Oakland County Court Records
Certificates and marriage licenses are Clerk/Register services, but they are not Circuit Court case records.
Deeds and recorded real-estate instruments use the property-record system rather than Court Explorer.
Use ICHAT for the statewide public criminal-history task instead of treating one court search as a statewide background report.
Verify the Actual Court File Before Drawing a Conclusion
Court Explorer and MiCOURT can contain similar names, incomplete online document sets and later case activity. Compare the court, party role, filing date, case number and disposition before treating a result as the person or matter you intended to find.
A criminal charge is not a conviction. A complaint is not a judgment. A docket entry is not automatically the full filing. When the distinction matters, obtain the actual order, judgment or other relevant document from the court.
Oakland County MI Court Records FAQs
Where do I search Oakland County Circuit Court records online?
Use Oakland County Court Explorer for public 6th Judicial Circuit cases. It supports name and case-number searches, register-of-actions review and eligible document orders.
Can I search Oakland County court records by name?
Yes. Court Explorer supports public Circuit Court name searches, while Probate Court provides a separate Probate Case Search. District Court name-search availability depends on the individual court and MiCOURT participation.
What records are available in Court Explorer?
Oakland County uses Court Explorer for public Circuit and Probate access. Circuit records include civil, domestic, felony criminal and business-court cases, while available Probate documents can be ordered by case number.
Are PPO records available in Court Explorer?
No. Oakland County expressly excludes Personal Protection Orders from Court Explorer. Use the Circuit Court PPO Office and its published access process instead.
Are juvenile court records available in Court Explorer?
No. Juvenile records are excluded from Court Explorer. The Circuit Court’s requesting-records guidance directs juvenile legal-file copy requests to JuvenileLegal@Oakgov.com, subject to confidentiality rules.
How far back do Oakland County Circuit Court records go online?
Oakland County says public Court Explorer records are available back to the early 1990s. Older Circuit records may be accessed in person or by mail through Legal Records.
How much is an Oakland County certified court copy?
For Circuit Court records ordered through Court Explorer, Oakland County currently publishes a $10 certification fee per case number plus $1 per page. Certified documents must be mailed.
Where do I search Oakland County Probate records?
Start with Probate Court Case Search to locate the case number by party name. Court Explorer can then be used to order eligible Probate documents. Attestations must be ordered in person or by mail.
Where do I search Oakland County traffic or misdemeanor records?
Most traffic and misdemeanor matters are District Court cases. Identify the District Court serving the filing location and then use that court’s official search route or MiCOURT if it participates.
Is MiCOURT the official court record?
No. MiCOURT states that its online information is for informational use and does not replace the official record on file with the court.
Where do I get an Oakland County court transcript?
If the transcript is already filed with Circuit or Probate Court, check Court Explorer or the Clerk’s Office. If it has not been filed, contact the appropriate transcription agency.
What is the difference between Court Explorer and ICHAT?
Court Explorer provides Oakland County Circuit and Probate case information and documents. ICHAT is the Michigan State Police statewide public name-based criminal-history search.
Can I find an old Friend of the Court case by case number?
Friend of the Court warns that archived cases more than 18 years old may appear in a name search but not in a case-number search. Use the name search or contact Friend of the Court when an older case is difficult to locate.
Can Court Explorer be used for a criminal background check?
Oakland County says Court Explorer should not be used for criminal background checks or similar purposes. Use the appropriate Michigan State Police criminal-history service when that is the actual task.
Official Sources Checked for This Guide
- Oakland County Clerk/Register — Court Explorer
- Oakland County Clerk/Register — Court Records
- Oakland County — 6th Circuit Court
- 6th Circuit — Requesting Records, Transcripts & Video
- 6th Circuit — Personal Protection Orders
- Oakland County Probate Court — Online Services
- Oakland County — District Courts
- Oakland County — Friend of the Court
- Michigan Courts — MiCOURT Case Search
- Michigan State Police — Criminal History Records / ICHAT
Court Explorer coverage and copy fees, Circuit Court records and contacts, PPO and juvenile routing, transcript procedures, Probate workflow, Friend of the Court search limitations, District Court routing, MiCOURT restrictions, ICHAT scope and older Circuit-record access were reviewed against current official sources.
Court websites, fees, contact routing and public-access rules can change. When the record-holding court or state agency publishes different current instructions, follow the official source.